Northern Rail to be brought under public control
The news has been announced by Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary
Rail services on routes operated by Northern are to be brought under public control, the Transport Secretary has announced.
Grant Shapps said he wants passengers to see "real and tangible improvements across the network as soon as possible".
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, welcomed the decision but claimed it is time the Government understood that "franchising of our railways, while stuffing the mouths of shareholders with gold, has completely failed".
The Government-controlled Operator of Last Resort will take over the Northern franchise on March 1.
The chaotic introduction of new timetables in May 2018 saw hundreds of Northern trains a day cancelled.
Punctuality and reliability problems continue to blight the network.
Published: by Radio NewsHub